Aim #1 Personal Study
A means of ensuring I keep on track with preparation for the written examination component of both the RACGP and the ACRRM examinations. I am an independent pathway registrar in ACRRM and a subsequent term registrar with the RACGP. I have finished all my training time and having graduated about 9 years ago think it's finally about time I settle down and finish the college examinations. (Audible sigh of relief from my spouse, the most beautiful, patient and supportive person in the world.)
Aim #2 Medical Education
I believe in the free sharing of information and in good quality medical education. As I work through various subjects I intend to share my notes and any relevant resources. I will be using primarily Australian and RACGP/ ACRRM endorsed resources. There are a wealth of wonderful overseas resources (uptodate.com; gpnotebook; american diabetes association etc) but there are important differences in their guidelines and recommendations which don't match with the Australian guidelines. This has a bearing on how to structure answers for RACGP and ACRRM examination purposes.
Aim #3 Memory Aids
To make the material as easy to remember as possible. To this end I will use diagrams and mnemonics as much as possible. Material is memorable if it has meaning and if your brain has other information"hooks" on which to "hang" the new material. With this in mind you might want to ignore my mnemonics and come up with your own. It's also important to note that our brains have much greater ability to integrate material when we actually understand it. Learning by rote may be fine if you're cramming for an examination but it won't help you practice as an effective and safe doctor in the long term.
Aim #4 Real Life Cases
To integrate real-life (but anonymous) case studies from my own practice as well as those from college resources which are already available. I plan to include a page on "curiosities"--medical presentations which have caused me to scratch my head and search for a diagnosis. As with any of the case studies any identifying information will be removed and non-relevant medical details changed to preserve the anonymity of the patient. As an example, I saw a woman recently with a widespread crop of firm pale and pruitic papules with surrounding erythema and the appearance of multiple burrows and associated lichenification/ appearance of eczematous changes. Her daughter and father had the same rash. After a bit of detective work, I discovered the family had visited a block of rainforest/ tropical scrub 5 days before the onset of the rash. The diagnosis was "trombiculosis" ("tropical chiggers") on a background of previous atopy and eczema. Differential was scabies etc
Aim #5 Difficult Presentations
To discuss tips for managing difficult consultations and patients that "press our buttons" and leave doctors wanting to engage in trichotillomania. These "heart sink" patients/ difficult presentations are important (though perhaps not for examination purposes) because if you let them, they can teach you a lot about yourself, and not just about the patient.
Aim #5 Litigation
The fear of unfair litigation claims has nearly made me retire from medicine on countless occasions. No one is immune. The problem is that exiting any arena of life solely because of fear tends to restrict our lives until eventually we find ourselves living in very narrow little courners, having shrunk back from difficulties like a patient with meningitis shrinks back from the light. For each topic that is covered I'll try to include references to AFP articles which mention recent litigation around that topic. For example "Failure to Diagnose: Prostate Cancer" www.racgp.org.au/afp/200903/200903bird.pdf
The aim is not to scare your pants off but to encourage awareness, and prmote safe and sensible practice. Aim #6 "Virtual" study groups/ discussion
Not every one has the time, inclination, or access to physical study groups. Eventually I hope that the comments section or perhaps a linked discussion forum might develop around topics where registrars are free to share questions and information.
Aim #7 Special interest-palliative care
This will be a stand alone blog--not focussed on either examinable material nor on Australian resources alone. End of Life Care and pain/ symptom management in cancer and terminal care is a special interest area of mine.
Resources:
Some of the resources I will be using will include:
- John Murtagh's General Practice 5th edition
- Australian Family Physician-Australia's only peer reviewed medline listed and SCIE indexed journal for general practice
- A range of the various Therapeutic Guidelines (Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Limited)
- CHECK program of self assessment.
- AMCQ annotated multiple choice questions
- Clinical Examination 6th edition by Talley and O'Connor
- Women's Health in General Practice 2nd edition by Mazza
- Australian Heart Foundation Guidelines see http://www.heartfoundation.org.au
- Osteoporosis Australia www.osteoporosis.org.au/
- BeyondBlue Clinical Practice Guidelines http://www.beyondblue.org.au
- NHMRC guidelines and summaries for general practitioners
- guidelines and evidence from the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (RCOG)
- Advanced Paediatric Life Support 4th edition
- Articles from MJA https://www.mja.com.au/
- The Australian Immunisation Handbook 9th edition http://www.health.gov.au/internet/immunise/publishing.nsf/content/handbook-home
I will endeavour to be as correct as possible and promote effective sharing of relevant information, including references to either books or websites. The reader is responsible for checking the accuracy of the information. I have no idea what information is going to be examined but over time will try to cover sensible areas based on the Australian Government Health Priority Areas and common presentations to general practice. See the terrifyingly tedious "Terms of Use".
And Finally
I am brand new to "blogging" so please be patient!
Terms of Use
Terms of Use
This site (the "Service") is an online
information and communications service provided by an Australian general
practice registrar--a registrar being a qualified medical practioner who does
not hold full fellowship with a relevant College--("Provider") subject to your
agreement with all of the terms and conditions offered below. Please read this
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the Service, you agree to be bound by all of the terms and conditions below,
which are intended to be fully effective and binding upon the Provider and
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modifications shall be effective immediately upon posting the modified
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modifications, and your accessing or using the Service constitutes your
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Enjoy!
Enjoy!
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